A hat and sunglasses are useful shopping accessories, as they can help to shield your eyes from glaring overhead lights in shops, or sunlight while window shopping and taking a snack break at an outdoor cafe. Photo via flooks.com.

One of the things that people sometimes criticize about Shopping Girls is that, well, they like to shop. Some even consider it a viable insult. Criticizers put women down for shopping, as if that scores jerks a superiority point on the societal scale of values. How wrong those blinded individuals are.

Everybody gets criticized. Sometimes the critic is simply an idiot. Sometimes the critic is a wise and helpful Yoda, appearing in your path to mentor you. Sometimes, a critic is projecting personal issues onto you. Interesting psychological factoid: You may be blind to the fact that you embody, in some way, the characteristic of the person you criticize. Photo via andrewgriffithsblog.com.

Shopping Girls rarely receive the credit they deserve for mastering the art of shopping, and the genuine contribution their shopping makes to the world. For example:

-Your shopping supports the livelihood of billions: Shopping creates jobs, both locally and internationally. That means that other people can work to support themselves and their families.

Words of wisdom from a creative genius. Photo via Pinterest.

-Your shopping supports creative genius: Shopping creates a demand for design, entertainment, and works of art that provide artists with an outlet to express themselves by marketing their creations. Those works of art make the world a more beautiful and interesting place for all of us.

Bruce Lee knew that we haven’t been given a spirit of Fear. Photo via target.com.

-Your shopping makes important statements: Most Shopping Girls have purchased at least one T-shirt that makes a statement. Your shopping demand for influential products gives a voice to people, sharing the ideals that they embrace.

Two Shopping Girls who are definitely on top of their game when it comes to making wise shopping decisions that are right for them. YouTube video “Aisle By Aisle: Choosing Foods Wisely/Beverages”, produced by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teOgkFFEwP8

-Your shopping promotes quality assurance: A Shopping Girl’s sharp eye for the finest goods, produced and manufactured in the best way, directly influences what continues to be available. Goods of lesser quality get left by the wayside. Competition to improve products is fierce thanks to the demands and expectations of Shopping Girls!

Founding Father Benjamin Franklin believed in win-win scenarios. A commitment to maintaining a good conscience is a Win for you and everyone around you. Photo via quotehd.com.

-Your shopping makes the world a better place: A Shopping Girl demands ethical shopping options, and what she demands directly influences improved ethical practices, because a Shopping Girl puts her money where her ethics are.

Bag End and Bagshot Row, a nice neighborhood in Hobbiton. Photo via pbs.twimg.com.

-Your shopping makes your neighborhood nice: Shopping Girls invest in their homes, gardens, and the appearance of themselves and their families. All of this adds up to an improved way of life not just for them and their loved ones, but for everyone around them. The fact that your community is a nice place to live is attributable, in a goodly percentage, to your shopping skills and choices, combined with those of others in your community.

Beauty is all about the life you live. Photo via Pinterest.

-Your shopping blesses everyone: Okay, I said it. It’s the ultimate Shopping Girl reality that people like to deny. But the truth is, what you do, and who you are, as you are, is beautiful:

Dad’s doing the carving, but odds are that Mom put it all together, including Dad’s outfit. Photo via huffingtonpost.com, “Seven Reasons to Bring Back Sunday Dinners” by Brie Dyas.

-Those of you who shop to decorate your homes and make them warm, welcoming places for family and friends to experience gentle and gleeful moments of daily life; you are Beautiful for what you do.

Gardening is strenuous and often frustrating work but, even with the failures, it is a rewarding experience that all women should try. Photo via technoserve.org, “Blog: Empowering Women to Reach Their Full Potential”.

-Those of you who shop to plant flowers, fruit trees, vegetables, and soft grass in your gardens that delight everyone who passes by, reviving them from stress and negativity; and that nourish your families, friends, and charities with what you grow; and that provide tiny realms for the continued survival of bees and birds and peaceful critters who struggle to survive in a harsh world that ignores them; you are Beautiful for what you do.

Fashion and beauty icon Audrey Hepburn served as an UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. 1953 photo at the United Nations, via Pinterest.

-Those of you who shop to look attractive, express self-esteem and infectious pride in who you are, standing tall against ten thousand nonsensical criticisms from those who judge you; you are Beautiful for what you do.

Norman Rockwell’s illustration of Rosie the Riveter made the cover of the “Saturday Evening Post” in 1943. Rosie stood then, and still stands today, as a symbol of the ability of women to get it done, whatever it is. Photo via nrm.org.

-Those of you who shop to keep businesses, industries, and governments afloat, people employed, customers satiated, and Life running as smoothly as it possibly can, no matter how many stalls, hiccups, or just plain disasters disrupt your efforts throughout the workday; you are Beautiful for what you do.

-Those of you who shop to feed the needy, providing them with medical supplies, hygiene products, clothing, transportation, and anything and everything else they may need to get back on their feet; you are Beautiful for what you do.

Gifting the perfect present is an art form, as is making a holiday bright and special year after year. You have to really care to do both right. Love and Shopping, two great things that go great together! Photo via punchbowl.com, “Five Tips for Planning Your Holiday Party”.

-Those of you who shop for celebrations and gifts, ensuring that Life doesn’t devolve into nothing more than an endless stream of the same boring days, that invest in shaping events into life-affirming and unforgettable memories; you are Beautiful for what you do.

Be blessed, be a blessing, and be grateful for both. Photo via medlifefit.com.

In essence, Shopping Girls are Beautiful for what they do, because shopping, rather than being a shallow or selfish endeavor, is a celebratory self-expression, a way to experience life as you hope it can be, a goal to bless those around you according to your unique gifts, a desire to produce a legacy of good based upon your choices. You are Beautiful just as you are, for what you are and what you do, whether you are shopping or not! Generate the continuation of positivity to help the world to be the better place it truly can be, with your fellow Shopping Girls!